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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Ciao
a tutti!! I hope everyone has been having a lovely and relaxing weekend.I myself have been busy in the kitchen, as
usual!!

A
couple of days ago I was shopping on Fresh Direct, when I came across them.
Yes, them. The food that changed my life forever. The food that I only for the
first time tried last summer in Italy. I’m talking about…..zucchini flowers.

Zucchini
flowers are very hard to come by and are only in season for a few months, so
when I saw them, I jumped at the opportunity to purchase a few batches.

My
mom had been telling me about these delicate, light blossoms for years. She
herself first tried them in Italy and I had my chance last year. When we were
in Rome, we ate them every day. They were on every menu, so I just wanted to
make sure I got my fix. We had them stuffed, pan fried, on white pizza, you
name it. But my favorite way to eat them was the classic stuffed and fried
version, who can blame me? Because really, when you stuff something with cheese
and fry it, how can that not be anything but amazing?!?! So, in honor of the
zucchini flower (or squash blossom), I present…Fiori di Zucca.

Start
off by cleaning them very well, they are extremely delicate so please be
careful. Wash them with a spray of water and dry with a paper towel. Gently
open the tips of the blossoms and pull out seeds or anything that doesn’t look
too appealing. Set the blossoms aside.

Place
a few inches of oil into a deep pot and heat.

Add the ricotta and herbs into a small bowl and mix well, season with salt and pepper.

Put the eggs into a small bowl and beat. Put
the flour in a separate bowl. Set aside.

Very
carefully pull back the tops of the blossoms and using a tiny spoon or a pastry
bag, put enough of the ricotta mixture in to fill the blossom without tearing it. Twist
the tops of the blossoms to seal. Continue until all blossoms are filled.

Dip
the blossoms into the egg mixture and then coat with the flour. Tap off any
excess flour. Continue until all blossoms are done.

Place
blossoms into the heated oil and cook until golden, this should only take a few
minutes, but stand by them to watch and see exactly how golden you like them.
When done, transfer blossoms to a wire rack lined with paper towels to soak up
any excess oil and season lightly with salt while they’re still warm.

Please
let me know if you have had zucchini flowers and what you think of them!! Buon
Appetito!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

It's
summer, which means that the odds are, if you’re a woman, at some point you
went on a diet to look good in your bikini or little white dress. While I
mostly write about all things food, I wanted to write about the healthy Italian
lifestyle. Which brings me to this….

Last
summer, as I have mentioned in previous posts, I had the pleasure of spending a
month in Italy. My days were spent studying opera, shopping, relaxing,
sight-seeing and eating. It was really la dolce vita or the sweet life. It was
a magical time. I am so excited to say that I will be going back in just a few
short months.

While
in Italy, my mother and I ate some of the most delicious food we have ever had.
Fresh pasta, thin crust pizza, moist mozzarella, bread right out of the oven,
vegetables just picked, beans, homemade pastries, creamy gelato. We tried it
all. As any young female on vacation though, before I left I was a little
concerned about gaining some weight.

I
have always led a very healthy lifestyle. I don’t drink or smoke. I eat whole
grains, fruits and vegetables and limit my intake of meat and exercise 4-6 days
a week. I wanted to try to maintain that lifestyle the best way that I could in
Italy, while still getting to enjoy the food that this glorious country has to
offer.

So
we arrived in Italy. We were in Rome for a little less than a week. By the
sixth day we were in Ischia and here’s the funny thing….. my shorts were
looser. I went to Italy with them fitting perfectly and within a week they were
too big. I was amazed. I had not been skimping on anything. I wanted to
experience all of the food and I was! In Ischia my shorts continued to get
loose. And then I realized that there was a reason for all of this.

﻿﻿﻿The
Italians do not really eat processed food. They do not use corn syrup. While they
certainly do enjoy pasta, they use it as a first course, meaning there is a lot
less of it. A typical serving of pasta in America is usually two to three times
bigger than a recommended portion size. Italians eat fresh fruits and
vegetables, herbs and beans. A serving of gelato is also nothing like a serving
of ice cream here. The large serving in Italy is really more of a medium over here
and while that doesn’t sound like that big of a difference, every little thing
adds up. In Rome, everyone walks
everywhere. That’s exactly what my mother and I did. We walked EVERYWHERE.
Except for late at night when we took a cab back to our hotel, we walked
everywhere. In Ischia, our hotel had the most beautiful outdoor pool surrounded
by palm trees with a view of the mountains. I swam 20 laps every day, on top of
taking walks up to four times a day with my mama.

I
really took to the lifestyle (except for all the smoking of course.) I could do
not believe that eating all of this tempting, wonderful food was resulting in
weight loss! Here is an example of a typical day of eating while in Italy.

Breakfast:
Yogurt,
toast with nutella or cornetto with nutella (or another tempting pastry) and a
cappuccino or frappe (a coffee milkshake, yes, I had milkshakes at breakfast!)

Lunch:
In Rome- A
few slices of thin crust pizza with a side of fried vegetables, capresse salad
or pasta.

In Ischia-
Tarallis, pesto, beans, cheese and nuts

Dinner:
In Rome-
Fish with a side of vegetables, pasta or pizza and a few slices of bread

In Ischia- A
few slices of pizza

Dessert:
Two scoops
of gelato (sometimes twice a day!!)

So
as you can very well see, I was not depriving myself. Like any sort of
lifestyle or diet, whatever you prefer to call it, it is all about moderation
and getting in some exercise. You can have your gelato and eat it too!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Ciao
lovely readers!! I am so sorry for being away, but between my computer not
having service due to technical issues and being on vacation the past few weeks,
it was pretty hectic and unfortunately, I was not able to continue with my
blogging. But all is well and I’m back now!

As I
mentioned, I’ve been away on vacation and just got back yesterday. So what was
one of the first things I wanted to do this weekend? Why, market of course!
Now, I am still pretty tired from the past few weeks. You know how they say you
need a vacation from your vacation; I believe it to be true!

I knew I wanted a
nice quiet weekend at home with some warm, cozy meals. So, instead of making an
entirely homemade meal (please don’t be mad!) I decided to do the next best
thing: go shopping at Iavarone Brothers.

Iavarone Brothers is truly a family run business and will
hopefully keep part of its old world charm and stay that way. The store first
opened its doors in Brooklyn in 1919 as the first Salciceria (sausage shop) run
by Pasquale Iavarone. By 1951, Pasquale's sons, Joe and Jerry, took over. In
the early seventies, a new generation, Pat and John, opened new stores and
continued with the legacy. Several years later, their brother Joseph Jr. came
into the family business. Now here’s the thing. Iavarone has four locations,
all in New York. But….you can order online!!! Here is a link to the site: http://www.ibfoods.com/ Now you too can
order some of the delicacies I’m about to tell you about!!

Iavarone
Brothers is a wonderful store specializing in; you guessed it, Italian food!
All homemade. You enter the store and you’re not sure where to start first.
There is a section with fresh, crusty, fragrant bread. One full counter devoted
to prepared specialties that vary from day to day, you will find chicken and
eggplant parmigiana, fried vegetables, lasagna, stuffed shells.

Another part of
the counter has different salads, pasta salads, olives, vegetables in vinegar,
fish salads. There is a section full of fresh cheese and pesto. Another section
with fresh pasta. The pasta selection is amazing. They have some of the most
amazing homemade ravioli I have ever had and they offer a huge selection of
different fillings; meat ravioli, spinach ravioli, lobster ravioli, truffle
ravioli, mushroom ravioli. They of course have other pastas besides ravioli;
gnocchi, cavatelli, tortellini, fettuccini. They have shelves filled with
jarred peppers and vegetables in vinegar.

There is the
butcher with house made sausages, steak, burgers, chicken cutlets and a section
full of fresh fish. The selection is endless. If you are craving something
Italian, odds are, at Iavarone, you will find it! On top of it, the service is
wonderful. Friendly, patient and helpful.

Now,
I know you’re wondering, what did I get? Well, the question is, what didn’t I
get? Fresh mozzarella, ricotta salata, parmigiana, jarred peppers, olives,
tomatoes, sausage, eggplant parmigiana, meatballs, roasted Italian pork, taralles, fried vegetables, pesto, bread
and ravioli. The beauty of this shop is that nothing needs to be done to spice
this food up. If you are getting already prepared specialties, you will just
want to warm them and enjoy! The only thing that I ordered that had to be prepared
was the ravioli, which I made with some of the fresh tomatoes I purchased and
some garlic. You will not be disappointed in the quality. Best. Raviolis. Ever.

The mozzarella is moist and buttery. The meatballs were tender and light. The
fried vegetables crispy, not at all oily. The eggplant parmigiana was perfect.
I find that eggplant parmigiana can be difficult. It can be too soggy and mushy
to the point that you can’t even tell that you’re eating eggplant. But not at
Iavarone. The eggplant is perfectly cooked, crisp, but not too crunchy like a
cutlet, and layered with mozzarella and tomato sauce. The bread was delicious
with a sesame crust. Perfect when dipped in some of the extra sauce from the
meatballs. If you live in the New York area, I highly encourage you to hop on
the train, bus, car, anything, so you can try some of this amazing food! If
not, they have a site, so don’t feel too bad.

Christopher, Jonathan and Michele Iavarone are now the fourth
generation to enter the family business and carry on eighty years of tradition.
Here’s to eighty more! Cin Cin!